PH help and question

[marie]

Originally Posted by PzReefer

Second maybe your effluent pH is too low i started at 6.5 when i first started my Ca reactor and had similar spikes in pH downward when lights off. Now I use 6.65 for my reactor target with much less swing in pH.

A ph of 6.65 worked for me when I started with the reactor but when the growth switched into high gear I had to drop the ph down to 6.5 just to keep up with the calcium demand

[Snappy]

Colin to help maintain my PH level I run a "cheato chamber" on a reverse photo period and I aerate my R/O top off water

[niloc16]

thanks guys. my alk is at a constant 8, i have been fighting mg for awhile to get it up its always at around 1180 i do not dose for it i just run zeomag in my reactor. i'm thinking i should start dosing though. i dont have a refugium either. what is a good quality mg to dose

[PzReefer]

I like Seachem's Reef Advantage Mag dissolves easily into you RO/DI topoff water and i also have Zeomag in Ca reactor too

[untamed]

Unless your Ca is running really high, I think you need to increase the output of your reactor a bit. Low Alk allows for a larger daily pH swing. (Isn't the definition of Alkalinity the resistance to pH swing? - buffering?)

If your reactor is already running at 6.5, increase the flow a tiny bit.

Measure the Alk right before your lights come on. That should be it's lowest level point and will give you a good idea of how low it's going.

Yes, you could add a Kalk reactor...and run it only at night. The trick there is that it is your Ca/Alk levels that determine how much Kalk you can add. You probably can't add enough to make any difference to that cycle unless you turn off your Ca Reactor.

The bottom line is that the cycle you describe is pretty normal...especially for a Ca Reactor system with no refugium. Don't do anything too radical to try to fix it.

[PzReefer]

I like Seachem's Reef Advantage Mag dissolves easily into you RO/DI topoff water , not too expensive.

[wickedfrags]

Generally speaking pH is not concern for most reefers, although many feel it is. A range of 7.8-8.3 is not uncommon. That being said - the key as you mentioned is reducing the fluctuation day-night as much as possible.

Easiest thing you can do as mentioned above is add some macro algae in a refugium and have it on a reverse daylight schedule (say from midnight to 9am) to help control the pH swing. Do not run the refugium light 24/7.

I tried dripping kalc, and found that is was tough to keep my dKH where I wanted it, not to say it is not effective for some. Try some macro in the fuge and see what your fluctuation is. Cheers.